Upanishads · Chāndogya 8,12.5
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ यः वेद इदम् मन्वानि इति सः आत्मा मनः अस्य दैवम् चक्षुः सः वै एषः एतेन दैवेन चक्षुषा मनसा एतान् कामान् पश्यन् रमते ये एते ब्रह्मलोके
Transliteration (IAST)
atha yaḥ veda idam manvāni iti saḥ ātmā manaḥ asya daivam cakṣuḥ saḥ vai eṣaḥ etena daivena cakṣuṣā manasā etān kāmān paśyan ramate ye ete brahmaloke
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
यःyaḥwho; the one who
वेदvedaknows; understands
इदम्idamthis; thus
मन्वानिmanvānilet me think (from √man, precative); let me consider; may I reflect
इतिitithus; how
सःsaḥhe; that one
आत्माātmāthe Ātman; the inner self
मनःmanaḥthe mind; thinking
अस्यasyaof this; it
दैवम्daivamthe divine (daiva); divine; the celestial
चक्षुःcakṣuḥthe eye (cakṣus); the eye; sight
सःsaḥhe; that one
वैvaiverily; indeed
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
एतेनetenaby this; by means of this
दैवेनdaivenawith the divine; by means of the divine
चक्षुषाcakṣuṣāwith the eye; with sight
मनसाmanasāwith the mind; with thought
एतान्etānthese; of them
कामान्kāmāndesires; the desired ends
पश्यन्paśyanseeing (from √paś); contemplating; seeing
रमतेramatehe takes delight (from √ram); enjoys; he is glorified
येyethose who; they who
एतेetethese; the present
ब्रह्मलोकेbrahmalokein the world of Brahman; in the abode of Brahman
Translation
He who knows "let me think this" — he is the ātman; the mind is his divine eye. With this divine eye, the mind, he sees the desirable things that are in the world of Brahman, and rejoices.
Version
d49673c6fdfe · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:55:55 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The crown of the list is the mind: daivaṁ cakṣuḥ, the ātman's "divine eye". Bodily eyes see the present and the near; with the mind the soul sees "the desirable things in the world of Brahman" — what no retina will show: departed loved ones, distant abodes, the Lord of the heart himself. The mind, purified and turned inward, is the organ of the vision of God.
So the Upaniṣad completes its rehabilitation of desires: the true kāmas (8.2) are contemplated by the "divine eye" — and the contemplator "rejoices" (ramate). Meditation here is not a switching off of the mind but a redirecting of its sight to true objects; bhakti will call this smaraṇa — a seeing with the heart which in a mature devotee is brighter than the eyes: "I see Śyāmasundara in my heart with eyes anointed with love" (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.38 — a direct echo of this verse).